Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Sword Lessons with Mother
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“I admit I acted suspiciously, but won’t you at least give me an answer? If what you say is true, then my visit here is suspicious in itself.”
All she needed was for him to tell her another place to meet Abyss, or a password to identify his allies.
But the man closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought. At that sight, Rachel decided to eliminate their options and time.
“Negotiations broken.”
Rachel spread her palm wide, as if to say she had no more lingering attachments.
“I’m looping the same time period over and over to solve a certain problem. If you’re no help, you’re not worth my time.”
With that, she rose from the bed.
*Won’t he grab me?*
Normally, when someone acted like this, the other side would panic and try to hold them back. But Abyss didn’t budge an inch.
Rachel passed by the two and reached the door.
Only the pink-haired woman, whose name she still didn’t know, fidgeted restlessly, at a loss.
“Boss, aren’t you going to grab her?”
“It’s a bluff. She lied.”
She’d been seen through. Rachel gripped the doorknob. Turning back now would mean her loss. But she hadn’t gathered enough information yet.
*Annoying bastard. How did he know it was a lie...? No way!*
Rachel twisted her upper body to look at the man.
“You didn’t answer my question, so I’ll change it. Can you detect lies?”
The man, who had been acting indifferent, lifted one corner of his mouth.
“Correct.”
“Revealing that!”
“I’ve already disclosed that my opponent is a regressor. It’s only polite to share my ability in return. What do you say? If there’s a next time, will you come find me again?”
At his relaxed attitude, a similar expression appeared on Rachel’s face.
“I lose.”
She said that, but Rachel was pleased. The answer to that last question could count as an answer to her previous one.
“In a partnership, winning or losing doesn’t matter.”
Abyss peeled his back from the wall and approached Rachel, extending his hand. She clasped it firmly.
“Then, for Evelyn Emporus’s escape, let’s do our bessssst...”
His words suddenly began to slur, and the familiar guidance voice rang out.
-A family member has died. Returning to the checkpoint.
As her ears heard the drawn-out voice and her vision turned into vertical lines, Rachel muttered inwardly.
*Fuck!*
***
The 16th loop had ended. The dead family member was most likely her captured mother.
Entering the 17th loop, Rachel looked at the family eating at the table.
She wanted to drop the fork in her hand.
*Reveal that the food is poisoned? No, Father at this point wouldn’t believe me.*
Even if she told him his two brothers were involved with demons, Henri wouldn’t believe it.
*Damn it!*
Somehow, she’d survived two years after passing the initial dangers by staying put, but the moment she started moving, her parents were exposed to risk.
*It would’ve been better if I’d just died and looped back myself.*
The downside was the immense pain at death, but a loop from her own death allowed control in the next one.
But a loop from a family member’s death meant she had no idea why or how if she wasn’t there—she could only guess.
*In that case, let Mom and Dad do their usual thing, and I’ll move alone!*
It was a thought born of frustration, but upon second thought, it wasn’t bad.
To execute it, though, she needed to get stronger. That was why she’d tried to meet Abyss—she couldn’t handle the baron alone.
*Should I learn swordsmanship?*
Even basic self-defense would be useful across loops. Her body reset to fifteen each time, but learned skills didn’t vanish.
No matter how talentless she was, two years of steady sword training should yield something.
*Changing course!*
Rachel set down her fork.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I suddenly feel chilly. Maybe I stayed in the yard too long yesterday. Father, I think I’ll have to go to the capital another time.”
“I-is that so.”
Henri, who had been pushing the capital trip as a condition just the day before, responded dazedly as she backed out on the day of.
“I’ll check once before you go.”
“Yes. Then I’ll head to my room first.”
Rachel feigned weakness as she left the dining room and went to her room.
“Just send Father to the capital as usual.”
He’d never died when she didn’t go along. She’d planted seeds of distrust toward Paris Emporus with the checkpoint update, but they wouldn’t sprout easily. High chance he’d live steadily for two, no, three years.
“And this loop, I’ll learn the sword from Mother!”
Rachel muttered, snapping her fingers.
Evelyn died two years in, but now there was Enoch. Plus, this time, she’d learn the sword herself and stick by Evelyn.
“I’ll identify every situation that kills Mother and avoid them all.”
Just like she’d done early on. She’d died nine times in a day or days apart, avoided those, and survived two years.
“No way I can’t stretch two years to three?”
Rachel clenched her fist. Hoping to advance steadily in one go, without looping.
***
Before departing for the capital, Henri placed his palm on Rachel’s forehead to check her temperature. After taking her pulse too, his eyes narrowed.
*She’s faking it.*
He didn’t say it, but his gaze asked as much.
“Rest well at home.”
“Yes. Father, hurry on.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll hear bad news on the way.”
“Bad news?”
“Bad enough for a royal summons.”
“Hmm.”
“And clean your room before living in it.”
She’d cleaned diligently, but it was all for nothing. More than anything, Rachel regretted the labor she’d put in.
*I can’t do nothing just because I’ll loop.*
There was a saying: Even if the world ends tomorrow, I’ll plant an apple tree.
That was exactly Rachel’s mindset.
*No matter when I loop, I have to do what needs doing.*
Daily life was precious. Especially hers, like a cracked glass mirror that could shatter anytime.
The man averted his gaze from his daughter’s nagging. He didn’t know how she knew his room’s state, but sincerity shone in her expression.
“Can your ability tell you that too?”
“Yes, yes. Your messy room was going to make you sick and die.”
Rachel added a little lie. Then, hesitating, she tacked on one more thing.
“And come home often from now on.”
The man’s eyes widened briefly at her words. Knowing why he hadn’t come home, he rubbed his nape and replied in a choked, hoarse voice.
“Alright. I’ll visit more often.”
At those words, a blue window appeared.
[Danger Level: 70%]
*Why?*
She couldn’t pinpoint where in that short exchange the danger level had dropped. Rachel tilted her head in confusion.
*Haven’t I done everything I can at the estate?*
They exchanged a few more words, and soon Henri boarded the carriage and left. Even as she saw him off, Rachel’s question lingered.
“Then I’ll be off too.”
“Priestess Peace, thank you.”
“Not at all. Learning that the black sorcerer is targeting this place is reward enough. I’ll report to the church and bring good news.”
Evelyn and Priestess Peace hugged, displaying their close friendship.
After hugging Evelyn, Priestess Peace embraced Enoch too.
“Learn and feel much while staying here.”
“Yes.”
Then she bestowed blessings on Rachel and Deyner.
Pure white light descended. A world where gods truly existed. Rachel wanted to ask one why she’d been dragged here and why she looped.
But after blessing the seven heroes who defeated the demon king, the gods hadn’t appeared.
In the 6th loop, she’d visited a temple but gained nothing. Meeting a god was a distant dream.
Priestess Peace departed too. The change from before was Enoch’s presence.
Once the departing were gone, everyone turned to head back to the estate. Deyner scampered inside. Enoch followed slowly behind Evelyn.
“Mother.”
Rachel called to Evelyn, who was entering the estate. Evelyn turned at her daughter’s voice.
“What is it?”
“I want to learn the sword too.”
“You?”
Evelyn echoed in surprise. The daughter she knew was frail, not very active. She holed up in her husband’s study reading books even she found difficult.
Her skin was pale from lack of sun, and her soft, muscle-less body from low activity still seemed baby-like.
Resembling her in looks but her husband in constitution. Pondering her daughter’s request, Evelyn soon decided.
“Alright. I’ll teach you.”
Strange things were targeting her daughter—she couldn’t leave her be.
Provoking enemies recklessly was dangerous, but Rachel had nearly been taken by something unknown.
Evelyn didn’t expect great things from Rachel. Just enough to hold out until she arrived in danger.
“Mommy, I love you.”
Evelyn spun around with her daughter, who’d hopped joyfully into her arms. She was adorable.
And hearing “Mommy” for the first time since age eight was delightful.
“Mommy loves Rachel too.”
Enoch smiled at the harmonious mother-daughter scene and entered the estate first.
He looked forward greatly to life here.
***
“Huff, huff.”
From dawn, Rachel panted roughly. The air was refreshing, but her body was too frail to take it in.
*This damn body. I haven’t walked much at all.*
Right now, Rachel was climbing a mountain. Evelyn had eagerly accepted her daughter’s wish to learn the sword and acted the very next day.
She woke Rachel at dawn, when cool air still lingered, had her wash up, changed her into comfortable training clothes, dragged her out of the estate, and took her to the back yard.
The estate’s back yard connected to the mountain. Gentle slope from the estate side, but after a while, a cliff appeared. About 400m high.
Not an incredibly tall mountain, just neighborhood hill height, yet Rachel tired after ten minutes.
“Tired already?”
Evelyn, leading ahead, paused and turned. Enoch looked at her too.
“Seems like it, since I’m not used to it.”
Rachel smiled awkwardly. Inwardly, she felt like vomiting.
*A newborn fawn isn’t this fragile!*
Suddenly, she understood the game’s Rachel.
The game had a dash to boost movement speed. But it lasted only 10 seconds, and speed dropped for 5 after.
She’d cursed why include it if so limiting, but feeling this stamina now, she got it.
*Tripping and spraining ankles wasn’t whining after all.*
Even after Enoch healed her, she’d complained of ankle pain often, and Rachel had joked if they were bamboo stalks. With stamina this poor, sudden running would wreck more than ankles.
“We’ll rest once we go a bit further.”
“Yesss.”
Exhaustion stretched her reply. Hoping Evelyn’s “bit” was truly short, Rachel climbed the slope again.